Waldemar III, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst

Waldemar III, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst was a German prince who died in 1391. Waldemar III, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst's dad's name was John.

There really were a lot of princes all over the world back in the olden days. There aren't as many princes these days. In fact, even the word prince has taken on new meaning in our modern times. When I hear the word prince, the first thing that comes to mind is Prince. Then I think of Prince spaghetti. Then I think of Milwaukee Brewers' firstbaseman Prince Fielder. Then I think of the Spin Doctors. Then I think of Bel Air. Then, and only then, I think of Waldemar III, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst.

One can only wonder what we'll think of when we hear the word prince in another 600 years.


Sometimes princes get angry.
Photo: itslefty via Flickr (CC)

Caroline of Ansbach

Caroline of Ansbach was the queen consort of King George II of Great Britain back in the 1730s. Apparently she was a pretty big deal. Wikipedia says she was "one of the most important consorts in British history." She even has a county in Virginia named after her. It's called Caroline County.

Like many historical royal figures, Caroline had all kinds of complicated family dramas. Caroline is also the subject of a well-known nursery rhyme, in which she washes her hair in turpentine. The turpentine makes Caroline's hair shine.

But listen to what occurred to me: A queen is a kind of playing card. The queen of diamonds is one of the four queens. Diamond is Neil Diamond's last name. Neil Diamond has a famous song called Sweet Caroline. Caroline was a queen. A queen is a kind of playing card. The queen of diamonds is one of the four queens. And so on.


Neil Diamond's left index finger is tied to a hot air balloon.
Photo: whiper via Flickr (CC)